


By the Board

by dracox_serdriel



Series: Her Dark Works [6]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Control, Dark, Dark Castle, Dark Emma Swan, Dom/sub, Dubious Consent, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Smut, The Dark One (Once Upon a Time), The Enchanted Forest, The Jolly Roger, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-03 18:53:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5302907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracox_serdriel/pseuds/dracox_serdriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma Swan is reborn as the Dark One and struggles to maintain her humanity. Will she remain the Savior of the Realm or become engulfed by the darkenss?</p><p><strong>Her Dark Works</strong> takes place in an alternate universe where Emma Swan was born and raised in the Enchanted Forest. One day, things go horribly wrong, and She abandons her birthright and throne to seek revenge on the Dark One. What happens when a woman born to be the Savior of the Realm joins forces with the Vengeful Pirate of Neverland?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma Swan is taking into the sky and reborn as the Dark One.

Emma was in Hook's arms, standing on the deck of the Jolly Roger, when she saw the darkness escape from the hat. It flew above in coils like a serpent, circling overhead like a bird of prey.

When she borrowed the hat from the Sorcerer's Apprentice, he taught her the spell to strip the darkness from the Dark One and lock it away, but he also told her something she could never forget: 

_"The Dagger can control the darkness because it is bound to a single person, the Dark One. Tethering that power to someone is the only way to contain it, to prevent it from destroying the realms."_

The words echoed in her head, and she realized the darkness wasn't attacking someone, it was trying to tether itself to whoever had its connection point, its anchor: the dagger.

As the darkness encircled them, Emma's hand twisted Hook's wrist, so he dropped the dagger. The black smoke flew up again, and she knew what she had to do.

She didn't have time to muster up her courage, so all she said was, "Goodbye, Hook."

Then she pushed him away, snatched the dagger, and let the darkness fall on her. The very last thing she heard before blackness overtook her was Hook shouting her name.

 

Emma opened her eyes. She was inside a castle. Her clothing was different and odd. The garments were made from fine materials but created with no thought to craft, left to fray along the edges.

 _Where am I?_ she thought to herself. Her next thought was, 'In my castle.'

She knew that this was wrong. She grew up in a castle but not this one, though she did recognize it. She'd been here before. The Dark Castle.

'My castle.'

It was her own thought, she knew that, but it wasn't like her normal thoughts nor was it another voice in her head. It was as if she had begun to review some ancient lessons from her youth that she had long-since forgotten, and now that they had her attention, she could properly remember them.

Where was Hook? Was he all right? How did she get here from the Jolly Roger?

She couldn't remember, so she walked to the great hall, where she knew the Dark One kept an enchanted looking glass. She found it easily, and when she touched it, the events flashed on the surface as if she were watching them from above: the darkness taking her up into the air and disappearing and then Hook setting sail.

When the images stopped, the mirror reflected her face, and she jolted back from it, nearly dropping it on the ground. She looked again and saw that her features, her hair, even her eyes had changed.

How was this possible?

The mirror showed her the dagger with her name emblazoned on it, but she couldn't see where it was. Somewhere dark.

'If you kill the Dark One, you become the Dark One.'

The thought snuck inside her head, and she felt like she was drowning, suffocating. The Dark One only died when someone murdered him ('or her') and took the power away. 

She imagined a wall between herself and all the world so that no one could see what she had become and no one would be able to request the aid of the Dark One ever again.

Days later, when she finally had the courage to go outside and feel the sun on her skin again, she found the protection spell surrounding the Dark Castle and its lands. It should've given her relief to be surrounded by a barrier, but it terrified her that she need only think something to make it so.

_What would happen if I thought something horrible - just for a moment - about someone I loved or cared for?_

'Then something horrible would happen. So, happy thoughts!'

Emma retreated to the castle, afraid of what she might do. Though she knew it was futile, she looked up curses and spells that might entomb her, such as a sleeping curse, but of course, the Dark One was immune to everything but the dagger and squid ink.

* * *

After several days of self-loathing, Emma tried to right herself. She set up looking glasses in the great hall that let her look in on her sister Queen Eva, her brother Prince Neal Leopold, and Hook. Each day, she would glance into these mirrors and see her brother speaking with knights, her sister negotiating with other rulers, and Hook on his ship.

It calmed her, reminded her of who she was, and on good days, even made her happy.

Then one day, she saw Hook on land, sleeping in a bed that wasn't his. She wondered what he was doing off his ship, and the desire to see him, to speak with him, became unbearably strong. She touched his image, and for a beautiful, fleeting moment, it was as if he was with her again.

And then it passed, and she was alone.

The next day, she saw Hook riding a horse. She began to think that the mirror had somehow failed her. Why wasn't he returning to his ship? Where was he going? But she kept watching the mirror each day, curious and confused. That was, until he and his steed crashed into her protection barrier.

 _He was riding to me..._

She went to his side, finding both he and his horse near death, and she healed them before bringing them inside the grounds of her castle.

* * *

Hook kneeled before her and spoke, "Please, Emma, I am ever in your service."

She considered how she made the protection spell appear, how easily one bad thought could maim or kill him. He came to her out of a sense of duty, but it was a fool's errand.

So she crowded him, but not in a romantic way, and she felt him shrink away from her as she asked, "Do you have any idea what I would do to you? I would use you and your body to fulfill my darkest desires."

"And I will enjoy satisfying those desires," he replied. "Emma Swan, I'm yours. Whether you're the Savior of the Realm or the Dark One or simply Emma. I am yours."

"Very well."

She _wanted_ him to be hers, completely. Not like Neal had been hers, as a man she loved too much to put in danger by marrying her. Losing him nearly drove Emma mad. No, she wanted Hook to be her plaything, her pet, always in her service.

But after one night - well, technically, morning, since it was after dawn - she knew that it wasn't possible to possess Hook in such a way. For one thing, he was the only person she had seen in weeks. For another, he was far too satisfying to risk losing.

At least, that's what she told herself.

So she cast him into a deep slumber and took his heart out of his chest, noting that, for a centuries-old pirate, his heart was quite robust. She took a ring of platinum gold, enchanted it, and fused it around one of his heart's arteries. Then she replaced it.

She took another platinum gold ring, the first one's partner, and likewise fused it with her heart. These two rings shared a history, as they belonged to her grandparents, Eva and Leopold, and that gave them a connection that enabled Emma to connect a part of her life force to Hook's. It would act as a kind of grounding wire. Should Emma's magic attempt to kill him, it would simply flow back to her, where it could do no harm.

She smiled once her task was complete. Her mother had given her these rings when they discussed the possibility of her marriage to Neal, and when she refused to wed him, Snow insisted that she keep them. She wondered what her mother would think of her using her family heirlooms to preserve her pirate lover from, well, herself. 

Snow and Charming would be revolted and horrified by their eldest daughter, and for some reason, that made Emma grin from ear to ear.


	2. Bargaining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hook falls under the thrall of the Dark One. Can he survive it?

Hook woke up naked in a very comfortable bed, and he was genuinely happy. Of course, he shouldn't be, but that thought rolled right past him like a wave, barely considered and forgotten in the next instant. He sat up with a smile on his face, for beyond a few pangs in his chest, he felt better than he had in weeks.

"You're awake," she said as she appeared next to him in bed. 

"Emma."

"You've been asleep for two days."

"Sorry, love, the journey here was quite trying."

He reached out to her and touched her face, and she closed her eyes lazily, as if enjoying it. He kissed her forehead, then her cheek, and then her lips.

Emma pushed him away gently, a faint smile on her face. "There's something we need to discuss."

"Emma, I - "

She put her finger to his lips to silence him as she climbed over his body, forcing him to sit back.

"Listen to me very carefully," she said. "Just listen."

She was crafty and slipped behind him so he was leaning back into her embrace with one of her fingers still over his mouth. She leaned her head next to his so she could whisper in his ear.

"You said you'd do anything I asked for," she said. "And you fantasized about us doing _every_ thing."

She began to trace his lips with his finger as she wrapped her other arm around his mid-section. His nudity made it impossible to conceal his rising interest, but she didn't seem to mind it.

"And then you came to my home and told me you'd be in my service for as long as I'd have you, oh, and Captain, trust me, I'll _have_ you."

An audible moan escaped him, and she made a tsk, tsk sound of disapproval. She slipped her finger into his mouth, a second one teasing his lips, and he sucked hard, working his tongue over the delicate traces of her finger. He never expected to be so turned on my such a simple act. He needed to touch her, to feel her, but she held him still.

"But did you consider the things I might ask you to do? What will happen when I demand something from you that you simply won't do?"

Hook wanted to protest, but a second finger was jammed in his mouth, roughly this time. Her other hand encased his erection, and he groaned at the first touch, the first friction as his hips jerked up. Then he felt something holding him down, though he couldn't see restraints.

 _Emma, please..._ he thought.

"Shhh, listen to me," she continued, slowly stroking his member. "What if I ordered you to beat me, hurt me, to stab me?"

_I'd never hurt you, Emma._

"You need to know something, Hook. Are you listening to me? Good. You are mine. Completely. When I ask you to do something, you will do it, even if you hate the very thought, because you are mine. And what's mine does as I ask."

She quickened the pace of her strokes and added another finger to his mouth, and he sucked harder. His entire body was on fire, and she revealed in it.

"Captain Hook belongs to me, _every_ part of him. I want you to know what that means. The dynamics of our relationship have changed. I am no longer some stowaway princess desperate for revenge. Inside this castle, I am the captain, and you aren't my guest or my stowaway or my lover or my prisoner."

His cock was weeping precum while his heart fluttered at the word 'lover.' What was she doing to him? Didn't she know that he was already hers? She let a tiny groan of her own out, even though he couldn't touch her, and he realized that this wasn't an act for his pleasure but an act of her domination over him. That hardly stopped him from enjoying it. If anything, it gave him a surge of desire as her hand tightened around the shaft of his cock. Another moan bubbled out of him, only partially stopped by her fingers.

She began to twist her hand as she stroked as a punctuation to her words, "You. Are. Mine. You. Are. Mine." She repeated them at length.

_Yes, Emma! I'm yours! All yours! YES!_

"You won't always like what I have you do, but you will be rewarded _every_ time. You are mine."

He wanted to scream in agreement, shout it from the castle turrets, profess himself as hers for as long as he was still breathing, but her fingers stopped him, wiggling in his mouth. Her other hand quickened the pace, and she started to recall out loud their first few nights together in bed, detailing in the lewdest terms possible how he had positioned her and held her, how he had kissed and touched her, how he had made her come each and _every_ time.

And just like that, he climaxed, her hand milking his cock as his mind went blank. She kissed him on the face, adoringly, and continued to stroke him as he came down, covered in sweat and his own juices, until he began to soften and she released him.

Only then did she remove her fingers from his mouth.

"You are mine, Hook. Don't forget it," she said. "Rest now. Your body still needs more sleep."

She produced a towel out of nowhere, wiped him down quickly, and disappeared. He was still panting from the effort.

His eyes began to flutter as he wondered what that had been about. His last cogent thought was that she hadn't just dominated him, she'd claimed and branded him, and he couldn't find it in himself to be offended or even mind.

* * *

Whenever Emma rode into a battle or an otherwise perilous situation, she always had a plan. When she learned about the Dark One curse being passed on to the killer, she did everything in her power to skirt around it, but apparently the Apprentice had been wrong about the Sorcerer's Hat. 

And she hadn't considered that possibility.

She had, of course, assumed that the cost of using that kind of magic would result in a mortal injury or even kill her outright. All magic came with a price, after all. She just hadn't realized how steep this one was.

The curse of the Dark One came with a power so great that it exerted a pull over the individual. It wasn't so obvious as someone whispering nasty plots to her, which she could've easily ignored. No, this curse eclipsed her conscience and lowered inhibitions while reducing patience, empathy, and compassion. Her temper was always right below the surface, ready to boil over.

And it spoiled everything.

Before, watching her siblings through the looking glass made her feel peaceful, comforted, but as the days passed, she grew more and more irritated and jealous. She was the eldest child, and by rights, that throne and crown belonged to her, not her younger sister.

Two weeks after Hook's arrival, watching over her siblings became just one more thing that the Dark One had stolen from her. She hid the mirrors for fear that she might lose control and attempt to take the title of Queen Emma in her old kingdom, whatever the cost may be.

Every day was like a thousand tiny battles with herself, and she knew that one day, not long from now, she would lose one of those battles.

Emma had only two sources of reprieve: her curiosity and Hook. The Dark Castle had libraries of magical tomes, an enormous vault of forbidden objects, and all manner of interesting elements that she never had the time nor inclination to examine as the Savior of the Realm. On particularly bad days, she buried herself in an investigation of sorts, where she would learn all about one thing or another. It reminded her of the days when she would be summoned by a village or town in order to resolve whatever magical mischief beset them.

And on very, very bad days - those days when she didn't simply fantasize over usurping the throne or retaliating against an old enemy - she had Hook. There were times that she appreciated the irony that Captain Hook, a pirate who spread fear and devastation across the realms for centuries, was the only reason Emma Swan hadn't begun burning the world down around her.

His presence calmed her, tempered her, and amused her. Beyond his sexual prowess, he had many an amusing story about his time in this realm or that realm, not to mention a fair amount of insight into a number of obscure topics. His search for vengeance on the Dark One had been fruitful in many ways. 

Emma had never been possessive or controlling, but the curse of the Dark One cast everything she knew and understood into the depths of doubt. A few weeks ago, she trusted Hook with not just her secrets but her life, yet now she could scarcely accept that he willfully came to her and pledged himself without some kind of ploy or deceit. The longer he remained with her, the surer she became of his duplicity. 

By the end of his second week in her service, Emma realized the only way to be certain of his loyalties was to test him. Thoroughly.

* * *

Hook hadn't lived on dry land for centuries, and he was certain it would drive him insane. Yet his first two weeks living at the Dark Castle were pleasant enough. Emma's new attitude and personality as the Dark One created enough uncertainty to qualify as adventure. She always kept him on his toes. 

In truth, physical appearances aside, she hadn't changed much, though he couldn't be entirely certain. After all, he was the captain of the Jolly Roger, which meant he didn't have the luxury of dedicating all his time to studying her. They had often spent the mornings and afternoons - when he was at the helm - apart, and during those times, as far as he knew, she tasked herself with practicing some manner of ship work or gazing at the horizon, rarely speaking. At the Dark Castle, she behaved much the same, albeit slightly more aloof. They shared meals with light-hearted conversations, and she spent her time reading alone in the library or examining a dark object between breakfast and lunch and again between lunch and dinner. 

The time that passed between dinner in breakfast, on the other hand, had changed a great deal. She hadn't been bluffing about him being hers, completely, not one bit. 

In fact, she had gone about proving her declaration the very next morning. He woke with her hand wrapped around his half-hardened cock and her lips whispering in his ear.

"You are going to take me like one of your bar wenches, Captain," she whispered. "I want to know what they got out of you before you became my pirate."

"I'm afraid I was much less impressive before you came along, Swan," he replied, his breath catching as she tightened her grip.

"Don't sell yourself short."

In the next instant, he was in a tavern, drinking with his crew. It was as if he had gotten lost in his thoughts, which he could no longer recall only to be pulled back into the thick of things by a round of singing. It had happened a thousand times before.

He went to the bar for another drink, but before he got there, something caught his eye.

Or rather, someone. A stunning woman he didn't recognize. He knew as soon as he saw her that he wanted her. He ordered the barkeep to furnish them with drinks on his coin without bothering them with interruptions. Then he joined her and did everything in his power to keep her in his company, plying her with tales of his adventures as much as alcohol. He went on and on about his dealings with the Kraken, the pack of Sea Wolves, and crafty pirates that served under Blackbeard.

She lapped it up. 

"You going to tell me your name, lass?" he asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I'll tell you what, Captain," she replied. "We can exchange names, or we can spend the night together. Your choice."

He smiled. As if that was a choice at all. He invited her back to his ship, but she insisted on her room at the tavern. It was quite large with a splendid bed that didn't seem to fit, but he didn't waste time thinking on it. After all, he had a mystery lady to please.

He kissed her, bringing her close before spinning her around so she faced the door while his body pinned her. She tensed up, no doubt surprised and possibly a little apprehensive about her selection of bedmate.

"Second thoughts, love?" he asked as his hand began to explore her.

At first, he was checking her for weapons but that didn't take long. He continued his explorations when he realized how ragged her breathing had become and how fast her heart was racing. That, and she hadn't answered his question.

"I might be a pirate, but I'm also a gentleman," he continued. "I require an answer: are you having second thoughts?"

"N-n-no. Don't stop."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Because I have every intention of carrying you to that bed and having my way with you until dawn. I plan on taking you so hard and long that you won't be able to walk tomorrow morning. I expect you'll be screaming all night long, and - "

She interrupted him by pushing her hips back, rubbing against his groin, and she gasped, no doubt at the feel of his erection through his pants.

His hand went under her skirts - why on earth was she wearing so many layers? - and rubbed up her inner thighs. She bent her knees so his hand was by her undergarments, which were soaking wet, and she began to move, rubbing herself on his fingers.

"So eager, lass?" he asked, bringing his mouth to her ear. "Usually it takes an effort on my part to get a woman this wet."

She moaned as he curled his fingers over her underwear, rubbing her clit through the clothing. She gave a tiny sound of disappointment when he pulled his hand away. Careful to keep her pinned to the door, he lifted her skirts up with the help of his hook.

"Underwear off, now," he ordered.

She shimmied them off, giving him full view of her stunning ass and hips, and she stepped out of them, panting with anticipation.

His hand dropped to her wet folds, and her skirts falling as his arm shifted. She made the most delightful sound as his two fingers plunged into her, with his thumb slowly stroking her clit. It was somewhere between a sigh and a mewling cry, and she continued to make it as his fingers fucked her. 

She was tight, and he wondered how loose he could make her by morning. He plunged a third finger into her, and she moaned outright, throwing her head back and she ground her hips onto his hand. She whimpered when he removed them, leaving only his thumb on her clit, but she screamed when he slammed four fingers back inside her, curling them while inside, stretching her out slightly. She struggled against him until he freed one of her arms. She reached into her own tunic and began to fondle her own nipple, panting like he'd been riding her all night long.

Oh, was she ever going to be surprised.

"And just think, I haven't even gotten you to the bed yet," he whispered in her ear as he pushed against her, pinning her more tightly against the wall.

And just like that, she came, hard and fast, her walls tightening around his fingers as she cried out,   
"Captain!"

As soon as she slouched against the door, he wrapped his hook arm around her neck and his good arm around her hips. He bit her shoulder and yanked her from the wall, turning them both so they were facing the bed. 

So he hurried, shoving her so she was bent over the bed as he lifted her skirts up so the upturned layers were pinned beneath her stomach. Again he feasted his eyes on her fine hindquarters, all the prettier now that much of it was red.

He made quick work of his own pants, stroking his length a few times, covering himself with her slickness, before bringing himself up behind her.

"You with me, lass?" he asked. "I wouldn't want you to miss this."

"Yes, Captain," she replied as she curled her hips back to meet his.

He lined himself up and pushed in, taking his time. His fingers had loosened her up slightly, but she was still incredibly tight and no doubt feeling the burn from his girth. She moaned with him when his hips touched hers.

He gave them both a moment before he started slow, shallow thrusts, giving her body time to adjust to him inside it. She cried out and pushed her hips back to him, encouraging him to go faster, and his hand snaked up her tunic to her breasts, finding her nipples hardened and ready for his touch. He quickened the pace so she was moaning 'Captain!' with every breath, and the friction overwhelmed him, sending him over the edge as he spurted inside her. Seconds later, she followed, her orgasm causing her walls to milk him through his climax.

He could've collapsed onto her then, his body limp and spent, but he kept himself upright as he pulled out of her. He removed the rest of his garments before rolling her over and undoing the buttons of her skirt and belt buckle. She looked up at him, surprise written on her face.

"I did promise you that I'd take you until dawn, did I not?" he said.

She was breathless, but she smiled at him wildly and began to remove her tunic. Once naked, he took his time exploring her body, keeping her on the edge of release for as long as possible. She was immensely malleable to his touch, never adjusting their position or jockeying for control, even when he rolled them over so she was sitting in his lap with his cock against her ass. She knelt over him as he sat back against the headboard, and his hook arm controlling her hips as his other hand explored her breasts and clit. She came twice before he followed, moaning nonsense in her ear as his thrusts became more erratic.

As she collapsed onto him, she turned her head to face him and said, "I told you not to sell yourself short, Captain."

And just like that, he knew the woman in his arms was Emma Swan. He didn't know if the tavern had been a dream or some kind of spell, but he hadn't really been there.

"Bloody hell, Swan," he said. "Did you really need to use magic?"

"It was your idea."

Then he remembered their conversation.

"Don't sell yourself short, Captain," she had said.

"I can't pretend I don't know you, Swan," he had replied. "I can't act like you're someone else. You'll need to bewitch me for that."

"You'd let me use a spell on you?"

"If it fulfills your desire, love, then yes."

"Second thoughts?" she asked him, here and now, covered in sweat and sticky from their juices.

"Never," he replied, kissing her.

He had never thought he'd enjoy a woman having control over him, but then again, he'd never been with a woman who wanted such a thing. Over the past two weeks, Emma had put him through his paces with everything from restrains, teasing until he begged her to let him fuck her to controlling him with little more than the commanding tone of her voice.

It was exhilarating.

They had gotten into a sort of unspoken schedule. They'd have breakfast together, and she would go off on her own. He would explore the castle and its grounds and care for the horse until lunch, when they'd eat together again. In the afternoon, he'd read as much as he could about portals to other realms until dinner. Then they'd wind up in bed again, though a few times they ended up in the dungeon, and no matter how long he lived, he'd never forget those nights. She'd let him sleep until the morning, and she'd usually wake him for a morning tryst. He'd bath - not just wash up, but submerge himself in water - before breakfast. 

He spent an embarrassing amount of his time fantasizing about their next time together.

* * *

Emma watched - no, spied on - Hook for several days with her enchanted mirrors. She found his interest in portals suspicious, as his life's mission of revenge was complete. What need could he have for one now? When she asked him about it, he told her he dreamed about traveling the realms aboard the Jolly Roger with her, and she had no doubt that it was an honest answer.

In fact, he often asked her to travel with him on the Jolly Roger, probably because he missed his old home, and she was wondering if it wouldn't be a good idea to take some time away from the Dark Castle.

But she sensed something was wrong, and Hook seemed to recognize her reservations, as he began to ask her if she was feeling all right. She told him she was fine, but he kept asking, and it was only a matter of time before her patience ran out.

* * *

She had been acting off for days, so he knew something was wrong. Yet every time he asked, she lied and said she was fine.

For three days, he asked her about it, at every meal and each night before bed. He kept at it, even though he could tell her patience was wearing on the matter, because whatever thorn was in her side would eventually come to bear.

"Swan, I know I've asked before," he said at breakfast on the fourth day. "But, are you all right?"

He knew before she replied that he had pushed too far. The temperature dived, and her visage tightened into a scowl.

"I know about your deception," she began. "The question is, was it just once, or are you still lying to me?"

His stomach dropped, for even though she hadn't mentioned specifics, he had lied to her about the dagger. And he doubted she'd forgive that particular deceit.

She was on top of him all of a sudden, backing him into the wall, and her eyes were filled with rage and fury.

"Swan, I - "

She interrupted, "Tell me the truth!"

She didn't know what he had lied about, but if she hadn't been certain of it before, she had confirmation now. The way she looked at him made his mind go blank, and all he could do was stammer. 

"Tell me, or I swear I'll - "

Whatever she said was lost to him, as a blinding pain tore throughout his body, and the blackness engulfed him.

* * *

When Hook woke up, he was sprawled on the floor of the great hall, and it was dark outside. He tried to recall the day's events, and he sat up in fright when he realized that before he blacked out, Emma had been covered in blood.

His blood. 

They had been arguing, and she threatened him. Before she even finished, his entire body jolted in pain as magic hit him hard in the chest. He had coughed, and blood splattered everywhere. He felt as if his entire body had been crushed against the wall by a fast-moving boulder. His hand moved down his body. Everything was in its proper place.

"You're all there," Emma said coldly.

"Bloody hell. What happened, Swan?"

"Crushing curse," she replied. "I was going to threaten you with it and inadvertently cast it."

"How am I still alive?"

"Grounding wire," she replied. "I gave it to you to ensure I couldn't kill you with magic."

"Good thinking, Swan, though I'd prefer - "

He stopped speaking when she teleported behind him and put a knife to his throat.

"It doesn't prevent me from killing you by natural means," she said. "Do you know what you said when you collapsed to the floor in agony?"

"I can't recall."

"You said, 'If you knew, you'd kill yourself,'" she replied. "Isn't that odd, Hook? After all, I can't kill myself without my dagger."

"Emma, I - "

"Tell me where it is!" she said, digging the knife at his throat so she drew blood.

"No."

"Do you want me to take your other hand, Captain?" she asked.

"If I tell you, you'll kill yourself."

"This isn't me!" she said, her words a venomous hiss. "Do you think I want to live like this? That this is who I am? It's not! This is not me, Hook! I am cursed to live forever as a monster and all I can do is lock myself away because if I don't, I will do things so horrible that they would mar every realm forever."

"We can fix that. We can find your parents - "

"You think I want my family to see me like this?" she shouted, interrupting.

She slashed his throat. He fell forward, his hand uselessly covering the gash in his neck. It took everything in him to say, "You could...be you again. With... Henry."

Emma's hand covered his, and the most beautiful light shone between their fingers. The blood in his mouth, the pain, the weak sensation all vanished. 

"What are you talking about?" she said, pulling him to his feet.

It took him a moment to recover.

"Did you just heal with me with light magic?" he asked.

"I asked you a question, Hook!" she said, throwing him into a wall.

"Did you ever ask how Baelfire came to be in a Land without Magic?" he asked. "His father had become the Dark One, and he wanted to free him from the curse without killing him. So a fairy gave him a magic bean to go to a land where his father would no longer be the Dark One. They'd have a normal life together."

"There are no more magic beans," she said. "I know because I spent years search for a way to my family!"

"Aye, as Emma Swan, the Savior of the Realm," he replied. "But you're the Dark One now. Did it not occur to you that perhaps now you have the requisite power for such a task? Maybe conjure some remnant of that mirror required for the portal? The Dark One was responsible for destroying it, wasn't he? We can use my ship traverse the portal safely, and when we get there - whatever the means - we'll be able to find your family. And you'd no longer be the Dark One. They'd never have to know of it. If I told you where that dagger was right now, you'd kill yourself, possibly ending the Dark One but maybe not, and your boy would never see you again. Isn't being with Henry again worth a little darkness?"

She looked at him with a mixture of rage, confusion, and defeat. Hook realized that the more he spoke of her son, the less angry she was. It was like watching the dawn break into day.

Knowing she may well stab him again, he approached her slowly, putting his hand on her shoulder and looking into her eyes. There was a storm brewing there, a battle between her wicked wrath retaliating against his lies and the harsh longing for her child. There was only one way to ensure the right side would win. He had to get her to feed it.

"Tell me about Henry."

She pushed him away, but with no real force, so he came back and embraced her.

"Swan, tell me about Henry," he said. "Because he wasn't sent alone to some forsaken and empty place. Your parents went to that land with him, and if any part of your strength was inherited from either of them, then there's no chance that he's anything but safe and happy and missing you."

Emma teared up, and he held her closer to him. She put her head on his shoulder and began to tell him stories about her son.

She told him about his declaration that no child should be an orphan in their kingdom. He was five when he told his grandparents that they should have a way to find at least one parent for every orphan. By the age of eight he had devised an entire process by which to accomplish such a feat.

She told him how she taught Henry archery and sword fighting while Baelfire, or rather Neal, mentored him on slight-of-hand, pickpocketing, and throwing knives. Her parents insisted on a formal education, so he also knew how to read and write. He had an affinity for legends and myths, and he planned to one day read all the stories from every realm.

She told him about the time Henry had colic. She was called on to slay a herd of enchanted boars that left whole villages flattened in their wake. She couldn't leave Neal to handle a sick infant, so they traveled with her. They hadn't realized that the herd had migrated so far north, and Neal was forced to climb high into a tall, thick tree with Henry in a sling across his chest while Emma sorted out the boars. According to his father, the boy's illness finally abated, and he slept soundly through all three hours of the last stampede of the boars. Neal remained in the tree for hours after so as not to disturb him, and Emma hit him about the head for all the worry it caused her.

They must've stood there, wrapped together, for hours, as she didn't stop talking until the first light of dawn came through the window.


	3. Anchors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma fights the mantle of the Dark One and plans her escape with Hook.

Emma curled up next to Hook, feeling more like herself than she had since she became the Dark One. She focused on his slow and steady breathing as the rays of the sun fell across his face. He had fallen asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

She missed Henry so much that she couldn't breath. She hurt. She ached. 

She felt like herself.

She had purposely avoided any thought or mention of Henry since the darkness overcame her. The pain over losing her parents and Neal fueled her hatred, her wrath, but tiniest thought of her son inevitably made her think, 'What would Henry say?'

And that was a supremely sobering thought. It was like her conscience regained its foothold.

She watched Hook for a long time, curious the man had gone so far out of his way to help her. He must've known as soon as he saw the dagger that she had become the Dark One, yet he rode to the Dark Castle anyway. She had done a number of horrible things to him, not the least of which was almost killing him. Twice. He seemed willing to submit to her on all accounts, but that didn't make any sense. He was a pirate captain, a man who sailed an enchanted ship, a legend throughout the realms. 

She supposed that a man who sought revenge on the Dark One for centuries would want to do more than kill Rumpel. Of course, he was like her. Ending Rumpel wasn't enough for either of them, they both wanted to end the line of the Dark One, the darkness itself.

At least, that was what she told herself.

They could do that - end the darkness - if they succeeded in traveling to a Land without Magic. She could find Henry and her parents and Belle. Her stomach knotted as she realized that none of them knew what had happened to Neal. She'd have to tell Henry his father died.

She kissed Hook on the forehead before teleporting to the library. If she was going to figure out how to get to Henry, she had better start right now.

* * *

Hook woke up sometime in the late afternoon. He vaguely remembered curling up with Emma after dawn and holding her until he drifted off to sleep, but she was gone now.

He rose and went looking for her, and of course, she was in the library, surrounded by hundreds of books.

"You all right, love?"

"Determined," she replied.

"Need a hand?"

She smiled. "A pair of eyes more like."

"Aye," he said. "You know, that horse I rode here was given to me by King Eric of the Maritime Kingdom. Seems your mother set him and Queen Ariel up."

"Snow liked to tell me that story."

"I'm sure it's a fine tale, but my point is that the King of a Maritime Kingdom provided a pirate with travel rations, a letter with his seal, and a fine horse," he said. "That's hardly a common event."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you have friends, Swan. When I told the Maritime Kingdom court that you were the one I wanted to help, everyone was suddenly willing to overlook the fact that I was Captain Hook." 

"Hook, I can't be around other people. Not like that. Not yet," she said. 

"Aye, but perhaps I can. I can ride back to the Maritime Kingdom and speak with Ariel. Mermaids can swim between realms, so she - "

Emma interrupted, "You would be gone for a long time."

"Not necessarily, love," he replied as he did his best to ignore his heart skipping beats. "Not if you joined me on the Jolly Roger. Just you and me. You could set up a barrier spell like you did here."

"And what about all the dangerous objects locked away in this castle and its vault?"

"Unless there's something unusually dire about being in proximity to them, why not simply pack them up?" he asked. "If they can be secured here and protected by you, why not on my ship? Better yet, why not simply destroy them? I suspect the realm would be much safer when the things dangerous enough for the Crocodile to lock away are no more."

"He wasn't the only one who locked things away," she replied. "And not all the objects here are dark. I've found a powerful talisman and several artifacts that wield light magic."

"You believe the Dark One has kept these items from doing good?"

"Why do you sound so skeptical?"

"Because magic comes with a price," he replied. "From what I understand, light magic is no exception."

"Perhaps," she replied. "But there's another problem. You can't destroy magic, Hook. You can hid it, change it, reshape it, and lock it away, but you can't simply obliterate it. If I were to destroy something containing magic, whatever is left over - ash, smoke, water - will contain traces of its past power, possibly transformed into something even more unpredictable."

"There must be some way," he said. "I've heard legends of wands and totems and other such objects becoming so dangerous that kingdoms have come together to destroy them."

"The kingdoms came together to destroy several objects that you've described - the Projecting Staff of Morpheus, the Phoenix Totem, the Marionette Line, the Singing Bone, to name a few - but never once did they succeed in destroying any of them. I was just a girl when they had to deal with the Marionette Line, which brought inanimate objects to life, but as soon as they were out of its area of influence, they returned to their dormant state. It was harmless until it found its way into a hunting lodge. Every trophy came to life and began to attack anyone nearby."

"I can imagine," he said. "What became of it?"

"A puppet has it," she replied. "Of course, he's no longer a puppet. He was the one who found the string and ran out of the building with it, saving everyone. So one of the fairies tethered it to him and blessed him with fairy dust so he wouldn't just be animated, he'd be real. His father - the man who carved him, actually - named him Pinocchio. He's about my age, fantastic wood carver."

"A happy ending, then," he said. "Surely these other objects you spoke of had a similar fate?"

"Unfortunately, no. The Singing Bone was crushed and burned with dragon's fire. Unfortunately, its ash was just as powerful, and there was no way to destroy it. It's in a jar on that apothecary table."

"What does it do, exactly?"

"When it was whole, it cursed people who played it. If you summoned even one note from it, you would see the horrible truth of someone's death. It drove many good people insane."

"I imagine the ash was just as terrible?"

"Worse," Emma replied. "Anyone who touched it suffered the same fate. But, as it was ash at the time, some of it blew away on the wind, and nearly a dozen people were cursed with its power."

"Do I want to know what happened to these other objects?" he asked. "The Staff and the Totem?"

"They disappeared," she replied.

Emma stood up, as if an idea occurred to her that spurred her into action.

"Emma, love?"

"Banishment," she said quietly. "The legends said they were destroyed, but they couldn't be... so they must've been banished to another realm. How did I miss it?"

"Knowing that I'm just a pirate captain, I'm finding myself a bit lost in this conversation, Swan. Miss what, exactly?"

"The mirror that the Dark One gave Regina to banish my family. I always assumed he had it because of Neal. He spent a century trying to find him before he realized that he was in Neverland. But what if that mirror was in this realm this whole time because it was the only way to get rid of magical objects - "

"Without the price of a remnant," Hook said, cottoning on. "You see quite excited about this, Swan. Any particular reason?"

"How do we stop people from using the most horrifying objects in all the realms?" she asked. "The same way I stop being the Dark One."

"We take them to a Land without Magic," he said, smiling. "Seems that, now that we have a plan, we've rather a lot of work to do."

"Yes, before we do anything, I need to figure out how to get everything here stored safely on your ship," she said. "Once we get to this other realm, we can destroy them all."

"Very well, Swan. Might I make a suggestion?"

"I suppose."

"As I've said, you have friends in this realm, Swan," he replied. "The rulers of the Maritime Kingdom helped a bloody pirate for your sake. I doubt they're the only ones."

"Being around other people isn't... it won't work."

"I'm not suggesting that you be around them," he replied. "Though a few extra hands on deck wouldn't be amiss. That being said, we may require some assistance in terms of finding a portal for the Jolly Roger." 

"You think we need help?"

"I believe there are people willing to stand against the gates of hell for you, Swan," he replied. "And not just the devilishly handsome pirate before you. They may know things about this looking glass you speak, or objects similar to it. I imagine that many of them would never dare aid the Crocodile in his endeavors."

She turned away from him, steadying herself with her breath.

"No," she replied. "I can't. I can't trust myself around other people."

"Then let me be your emissary," he said.

She spun around to face him with the most inexplicable expression. She came closer to him and cupped his cheek.

"If something happens to you, I... you are my anchor, Hook," she said. "You got me to remember my humanity. I can't lose you."

Many winged creatures began to flutter in his chest and stomach as her words washed over him. _I can't lose you._ He pressed his forehead into hers before drawing her into a gentle kiss, his promise to her.

"Nothing will happen to me," he said. "I'm a survivor, Swan, and there's nothing I wouldn't do to get back to you."

She gripped his arms tightly for a few moments, unwilling to let him go. 

_I can't lose you._

"Before we do anything else," she said. "We'll need to go through everything here. I can give you a handheld mirror to communicate with me, and maybe there's a protection charm or some kind of transport bauble that you can use to get back to me if you're harmed."

"As always, Swan, I am at your service."

* * *

Emma led Hook down into the vault of the Dark Castle.

"Stay close, and don't touch anything," she said.

"I've come to accept that I was born with a rather unfortunate curiosity," he replied. "And, to the best of my knowledge, there's but one way to ensure I won't."

His hand wrapped around hers, and she smiled.

They wound up in the safest part of the Dark Vault, where the previous Dark Ones put enchanted urns and the like.

"These all seem rather benign," he said.

"See that candlestick with three candles?" she asked. "Pick it up."

"In order to do that, I'll have touch it," he replied. "Did I pass your test, love?"

"It's safe."

He wrapped his hand around it and lifted it off the shelf. She used the tip of her finger to lit the wicks.

"Greetings!" the candlestick said.

Hook nearly dropped it.

"What the bloody hell, Swan?"

"Ah, I see we have a new Dark One. My name is Lumiere," the candle replied.

"You were cursed," Emma said. "Was it the Dark One?"

"No, no, not at all! In fact, the Dark One rescued me from the Wicked Witch of the West! That is why I am proud to serve you, of course!"

"Relax, mate," Hook said. "She's not that kind of Dark One. Tell her the truth."

"I swear to you, Dark One, this was the work of the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Swan, is there some reason we're talking to a candlestick?" Hook asked. "A rather untrustworthy one, I'd wager."

"Do you know who is inside these other artifacts, Lumiere?" she asked.

"But of course! The previous Dark One told me that it was my duty to watch over this place. Should anything... ahem... stir, shall we say, I was to report to him immediately."

"How long've you been at this, mate?"

"Nearly ten years!"

So far, everything Lumiere said had been the truth. She'd read about it in the Dark One chronicles, specifically those written by Rumpel. 

"Very well, Lumiere," she said. "Hook and I are going to walk you past each artifact, and you will tell me everything you know that person. Do you understand?"

"Of course my liege!"

* * *

Hook wanted nothing more than to stand on the deck of his ship after spending hours in the Dark Vault talking with a candlestick. Lumiere seemed like the average lap dog of the Dark One, too afraid to do anything but what was demanded of them.

But there was a reason for all this, there must be. Emma always had one.

So he listened as Lumiere blithered on about the urn that contained a woman named Ingrid, who had some kind of ice powers. The Wicked Witch had enchanted the entire staff of one castle into objects that only became sentient in service to their master, such as a tea kettle, tea cups, foot rests, suits of armor, and so on. Lumiere explained that the Wicked Witch wanted to be waited on without the risk of treachery that came with a human staff.

The vault seemed never ending. There was a mirror that contained a former genie, stolen from Regina, and a stone statue that had once been a powerful mermaid. Apparently, any receptacle could be enchanted to contain a living soul: inkwells, pots, shoes, buttons, quills, canisters, tins, eggs, pendants, and all manner of jewelry. There was even an apothecary trapped inside a mesh bag for brewing tea and a "mad hatter" (whatever the devil that meant) bound inside a pocket watch. According to the talking candlestick, the bonsai tree contained the most powerful sorcerer in all the realms, trapped by the very first Dark One.

"At least, that is what he told me," Lumiere admitted. "But I can tell you that tree grows, even though there is no light or water in here."

"So what do we do?" Hook asked. "Is it safe to free a woman with ice magic that we know nothing about? And what of this amazing wizard somehow held captive by vegetation?"

"I don't know," Emma said. "But Lumiere has done nothing but tell us the truth, as much of it as he knows."

"But of course!"

Emma waved her hand, and every person-object cursed by the Wicked Witch vanished, including Lumiere. She took Hook's arm and in the next instant, they were outside the Dark Castle, just inside the boundaries of the protection spell. The person-objects were all collected on the other side of the barrier.

"Bloody hell, Swan," Hook said. 

"These people the Wicked Witch cursed, they're just that, people. They don't deserve to stay like this."

With a wave of her hand, traveling supplies - food, water, medicine - appeared from thin air, and with a snap of her fingers, purple and green smoke enveloped the odd collection assembled before them.

In the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred people stood outside the barrier to the Dark Castle, including one red head with a rather cylindrical shape.

"I am me again!" the cylindrical man exclaimed, confirming that he had been the candlestick.

"How can we ever thank you, my liege?" a knight asked as he kneeled before her. Only moments ago, the man had been a suit of armor.

"Go home," Emma told them. "Or find a new one. You've enough supplies to get you to the next kingdom. You're free."

Then she led Hook back to the Dark Castle, leaving a mess of people rejoicing and hugging at what appeared to be a very happy reunion of souls.

She squeezed his hand. There was something about her in this moment, more than the smile and the joy in her eyes, that made him realize that he loved this woman. He had loved her for weeks now, and he was just too big a fool to know it.

She led him inside as the enchanted servants cheered as they began to move out of the shadow of the Dark Castle.

"Ever the Savior, Swan," he said.

"We should have dinner," she said conversationally. "We've got a vault full of people to figure out how to save."

She laughed. Not a mirthless grunt of disbelief, but an honest, cheerful sound of joy.

"Aye, Swan, long days ahead."

"And even longer nights."

* * *

Emma told Hook she had to clean up before bed but that wasn't entirely true. When she handed the candlestick man had whispered something to her.

"I believe you are looking for the contents of the highest shelf in the Dark Apothecary, where Rumpel kept his trophies," Lumiere said.

So she teleported there after dinner, not entirely sure what he had meant. Did Rumpel find other means of transporting between realms? Did he have a portal or magic bean? Maybe that's where he put the dust from the looking glass after she and Neal tried to banish him.

But what she found wasn't a bean or remnants of a looking glass or a portal. It was a hand, and one she'd've known anywhere, even though she had never seen it before.

It was Hook's.

Rumpel had preserved it, so it was perfect, a fist with the fingers rolled slightly open. She took it down and ran her own fingers across it, and she felt the magic that kept it in this condition.

She set it aside for a moment used magic to don a fine dress: solid red with a plunging neckline and deeply cut back. She let her hair down and decided to forgo shoes. She wouldn't be needing them tonight.

That was more than enough cleaning up to make her tale to Hook true.

She teleported to the hall outside their room, where Hook was adjusting his own cloths to look his best. She watched him in the doorway until he noticed her.

"Swan, it's bad form to stare at a man when he's dressing, especially when he's dressing to please you. Even more so when you... look like that."

She smiled. Of course he was trying to please her.

"You're ravishing, love," he said with a smile.

He fumbled with his buttons.

"I could make this easier on you."

"You know I prefer a challenge."

"I want to restore something that was taken from you," she said. "But if I do that, then I won't be able to call you 'Captain Hook' any longer."

"I appreciate the gesture, love, but my hand isn't worth it," he replied. "I've made due with my hook for centuries, and while I'd like my hand back, I know that something like that always comes with a price."

"That's true, you would have to pay for it," she replied. "But as a former Dark One took it from you and the current one is returning it, the price would be mine to decide."

"Is that so?" he asked as his hand slipped behind the small of her back. "And what would you demand from me, Swan?"

"You weren't the only one born with curiosity," she said quietly. She ran a finger down his chin as she continued, "I confess, Captain, now that I've had you with one hand, I'm painfully curious about what it'd be like to have you all over again with two."

He pulled her into a deep, wet kiss, his tongue fighting hers until they broke apart to catch their breath.

"Well, Captain, will you pay my price?" she asked.

"Aye, love," he said. "Gladly."

She removed the mechanism from his arm. Then she teleported the hand into the room and cupped his wrist with both her hands. White light, red smoke, and blackness swirled around it, and Hook's left hand was restored.

No sooner had she finished than he took hold of her with both his hands, running them across her ass before lifting her up and pinning her to the wall with a kiss.

Her hands grabbed for his shoulder and hair, returning his passion in equal measure, her heart feeling like it might explode.

To her dismay, he released her lips, leaning his forehead into her as his left hand explored her face. His entire body pressed against her, and she was already feeling the heat and wetness build inside her. 

She needed him, all of him, _every_ part of him.

"I give you my word, Emma Swan, that this hand will do all the things my other hand has done. Every touch, every tickle, every stroke, and to that end, when you feel the need to cry out my name, it's Killian, love. Killian Jones."

"Killian," she repeated.

He kissed her, and all thought of darkness was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fear not! For Her Dark Works continues with Episode #7 "[Comestibles](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5349674/chapters/12353399)."


End file.
